NRL’s round of high-scoring catches punters on hop
NRL betting has been thrown into chaos by a rule tweak which has seen the over/under markets obliterated on the opening weekend of the Australian rugby league competition.
The NRL expanded the application of the controversial “six again” rule ahead of the 2026 season, allowing referees to restart the tackle count for certain ruck infringements from beyond the 20-metre line rather than the previous 40-metre threshold.
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The change was designed to keep the ball in play longer and reduce stoppages, but early results suggest it has dramatically increased attacking momentum and scoring.
Raiders, who won by a golden point, failed to touch the ball prior to laying over 60 tackles in their match against Manly with officials clearly disappointed with the way the match played out.
“It was always about possession and I think they had 65 tackles in a row in the first 15 minutes with six infringements, that we gave away apparently,” Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said post-game.
Round 1 delivered a series of high-scoring blowouts that would have smashed most bookmaker totals. For instance, Melbourne Storm’s 52-4 demolition of Parramatta produced 56 total points, easily eclipsing typical match totals that usually sit around the mid-30s to mid-40s.
Cronulla also piled on the points in a 50-10 win over the Gold Coast Titans, while the Warriors beat the Roosters 42-18 and South Sydney defeated the Dolphins 40-30 in another attacking shootout.
The average winning margin across the round was around 20 points, with a sharp rise in “six again” calls extending attacking sets and leaving defensive sides exhausted.
If the trend continues, betting sites may be forced to rapidly adjust totals markets as the faster, high-scoring version of rugby league reshapes betting expectations.
